LATEST: Separatists say no new peace talks on December 21:
A pro-Russian separatist leader said a new round of peace talks aimed at easing the conflict between the Ukrainian government and rebels will not take place on December 21 as had been hoped.
Talks in the Belarussian capital of Minsk between Russia, Ukraine and the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe in September brokered a cease-fire agreement between Kyiv and pro-Russian rebels in eastern Ukraine.
Ukraine's President Petro Poroshenko said this week representatives were likely to meet December 21 to discuss implementing the next steps of the agreement.
But Denis Pushilin, vice speaker of the self-proclaimed Donetsk People's Republic's "People's Council," said a date had yet to be agreed.
Interfax news agency quoted him as saying, "We hope a Minsk meeting will happen before the new year."
Earlier on December 19, German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier urged the group to meet again in person as soon as possible.
The September truce was frequently violated by both sides, but violence has lessened significantly this month, raising hopes of further talks. (Reuters and Interfax)
The contact group for Ukraine peace talks may meet on Sunday:
German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier says the contact group tasked with facilitating a peaceful resolution to the war in eastern Ukraine may meet in Minsk on December 21.
Speaking in Kyiv, Steinmeier said the group held a video conference on December 19, and that he hoped they would meet again physically during the weekend.
Steinmeier said there is still "much to do" to implement the so-called Minsk peace agreement. But he added that a constructive contact group meeting would be "a sign of hope before Christmas, of hope that things will be better next year."
The Contact Group for Ukraine brings together representatives from Ukraine, Russia, and the OSCE.
Steinmeier's remarks followed a telephone conversation with his Russian counterpart, Sergei Lavrov. The Russian Foreign Ministry later issued a statement calling for the contact group to meet in the "near future." (Interfax and Reuters)
A "would-be bomber" arrested in Kyiv:
The Ukrainian Security Service (SBU) says it has foiled an alleged plot to detonate explosives in a crowded area in the capital, Kyiv.
Markian Lubkivskiy, an adviser to the SBU chief, said at a briefing in Kyiv on December 19 that security and counterterrorism forces had prevented what could have been a major attack.
Lubkivskiy said Luhansk resident Anastasia Kovalenko was detained during the morning of December 17 shortly after she arrived in Kyiv by bus.
The eastern Ukrainian city of Luhansk is currently under the control of pro-Russian separatists.
Lubkivskiy said Kovalenko had some 3 kilograms of explosive material when she was detained.
A video showed Kovalenko reading a statement saying that an individual named Konstantin had given her a bag containing the explosives, and instructions to leave the bag near a crowded area.
Lubkivskiy said the SBU had received a tip about Kovalenko's arrival and what she was carrying.